Grill, Baby, Grill (Part I)

I have to admit, our grill did not get much use last summer. We love food cooked on the grill, but our youngest son was 18 months old at the beginning of last summer and in that terrible search-and-destroy stage. We learned quickly that trying to grill on the back patio with him anywhere in the vicinity was a recipe for disaster, so we pretty much gave it up.

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

He's still has his self-destructive moments, but he takes a warning of "hot" with utmost seriousness, so we are back in business when it comes to grilling. Such a treat! We are having a delightful heat wave here in Savannah - the hotter the better as far as I'm concerned - so the mosquitos and gnats aren't too bad (wimps), making for fabulous evenings outside, grilling and letting the boys run around. This was tonight's dinner; a perfect summer meal.

1) Mixed green salad with homegrown tomatoes (my poor tomato plants. They're like little martyrs back there, all bent over and shriveled up under my neglectful watch, but still producing the most amazing fruit ever), cucumber, feta cheese, and Dijon vinaigrette made in my new salad dressing bottle. Here's the recipe for the vinaigrette. Note: I've discovered that after a day or two in the fridge the flavor intensifies, so just add another ounce or two of olive oil, shake, and it's perfect.

1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 ounce olive oil

Whisk or shake to combine. Excellent.

2) NY Strip Steaks. Coat with olive oil and rub generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Set them on the counter and forget about them for a solid 30 minutes. Grill over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes each side, depending on desired doneness. Bring them in, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and let them sit for another 10 minutes.

3) Roasted fingerling potatoes (these were delivered in our farmbox this week, and holy deliciousness Batman). Dice, toss with fresh rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425 for 30 minutes. Mmmmm.

Serve with a slightly chilled red wine or a gin and tonic, and your taste buds will practically dance with delight. Happy eating...

25 Minute Meals, Part I

I have a theme for the rest of this month's posts. On the Wall Street Journal "Juggle" blog today, there was a great discussion of how hard it is to walk through the door at 5:30 or 6:00 and get a homemade, healthy dinner on the table 30 minutes later. This is really the great daily dilemma for parents every where, isn't it? (See Ray, Rachael for the huge industry that has cropped up around solving this problem). So for the rest of the month, I'm going to be blogging about how we deal with this around here (some days more effectively than others).

Here are 2 suggestions for the days when you've been gone all day, and walk through the door in the evening starving.


1) Pasta with roasted shrimp. (Caveat: you have to peel and devein your shrimp the night before, or buy them already peeled and deveined). Everyone has their favorite easy pasta and veggies recipe, right? Just add roasted shrimp to it, and it feels like even more of a meal. Salt your water, set it on the stove to boil. An obvious note that all of us know but never actually do anything about - it will boil faster if you use less water! If you're anything like me, you put in twice as much water as you actually need, and then get irritated when it isn't boiling 3 minutes later. Preheat your oven to 400. While that's coming to a boil, toss the shrimp with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put them on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil. Water boiling now? Excellent. Toss the pasta in, and your oven has probably preheated. Put the shrimp in, set the timer for 8 minutes. You now have 8 minutes slice a package of cherry tomatoes in half, open and drain a jar of pitted kalamata olives, and crumble some feta cheese. (While you're at it, pour yourself a glass of wine. You deserve). 8 minutes up? Take shrimp out of the oven, set aside. Drain the pasta, return to pot. Toss with the cherry tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, shrimp, a little olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with another veggie on the side that doesn't require any cooking. Maybe snowpeas with a little ranch dressing for dipping?

2) Baked potatoes with chili. I know, it's still summer so this doesn't sound so appealing. But it's such a great meal to come home to, especially once there's a little crispness in the air, because you can do the potatoes in the oven with the "delay start" function - just have them start cooking 1.5 hours before you want to eat, and it's not going to hurt them to party in the oven all day. Put your favorite chili recipe in the crockpot, and dinner is ready for you when you walk in. My crockpot chili recipe is: 1lb ground beef, 1 can kidney beans, 1 small diced onion, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 1 package McCormick mild chili seasoning. Cook on low for 8 hours. If you're going to be gone for 9-10 hours, I am of the opinion that nothing bad is going to happen to that meat if you put your crockpot on a timer and it hangs out for an hour or a little more before the cooking process starts. After all, chefs at steakhouses recommend letting your steak sit on the counter for an hour before grilling it. Surely ground beef is just as tough? (Note to readers: if you have evidence to the contrary, I don't really want to know). Slice open the baked potatoes, top with chili and a handful of shredded cheese, and enjoy. So good. We also like chili on rice, which is easily made ahead of time (and perhaps rice steamers come with timers, too? I don't know).

Happy eating!